Wea Ridge and Burnett Creek Elementary Schools

Lafayette, Indiana

FIRM

CLIENT

Tippecanoe School Corporation

AREA

86,200 sq.ft.

TOTAL COST

$10,100,000.00

COMPLETION DATE

6/1999

Responding to rapid enrollment increases, Wea Ridge and Burnett Creek are identical sister schools that opened in the fall of 1999. The facilities are at opposite ends of the county in areas experiencing explosive growth.

Sunlit rotundas are the focal point of each school’s central core, providing access to shared academic spaces. Entrances to the media center with ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONCAPACITY500COST PER SQ FT$116.00FEATURED IN2001 Architectural Portfolio computer lab, large-group instruction room and school office are from one rotunda, while the gymnasium and cafeteria are accessed from the other. The centrally located stage serves each space individually, or the spaces can be combined to provide flexible school programming or accommodate large assemblies.

Flanking the central core are two wings that house 21 classrooms and two kindergarten rooms, divided to serve lower- and upper-elementary grade levels. The double-corridor design of the wings provides easy access to support facilities; reduces congestion and noise as students move through the building; and maximizes the exterior wall for classrooms.